That means it's also time to come up with a list of cars that would be great to take on a road trip. MONEY magazine's Sam Grobart and I put together our list of picks, selecting the cars we'd most like to take on an interstate run, with or without a family along for the ride.

For starters, a good road trip car must have:

A great deal of comfort for at least one person, but probably more

Space for some luggage, more is better

Highway fuel economy that is at least not shock-inducing

Performance is good to have, though. You probably won't be on boring, gray interstates all the time. The car should be able to handle winding blacktop as well. But not at the expense of a comfortable highway ride.

Road trips are about the near-forgotten joy of cruising. There is more to the pleasure of driving than tearing away from stop lights and getting thrown around in high-G turns. An easy-going drive in a really nice car with some favorite tunes on the radio can be a great way to leave more than just your hometown behind.